Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Should have listened to the Dr....
Should have listened to the Dr....
I truly learned a lesson from not listening to my Dr. Sure there were some times when I put weight on my ankle before I should have, or increased my PWB from 50% to 75%...but as my Dr told me at my last appointment, he did not have to worry...because I always tattle on my own self... Every time, I ended up fessing up to my Dr...LOL I just cannot lie to my Dr, I am honest to a fault as my friends tell me.It was during my last visit, I should have LISTENED to my Dr. He had me walk from the chair to the exam table without my boot. I did fine, so he ended up telling me to loose the boot. I told him ok, but I will wait for therapy...Well my appointment with the Dr was 11/20/2012, but my PT was 11/28/2012. So I practiced in the safety of my home, bootless...but outside my house the boot was securely on my leg. I walked it up, but still in the boot. The day before therapy, guess what my handy dandy security blanket of a boot did...gave me a birthday present of it's own. A nice blister right on my nicely healed incision. I panicked a bit, but I will check with therapy... I got to work, the boot hurt like hell... the boot got the boot, under my desk it went. I got to therapy, by then it was broken and seeping. They attempted to page my Dr, which happened to be on vacation. They told me DON'T put the boot back on & contact my Dr as soon as he gets back.
I called my Dr on December 3, 2012, actually spoke to his Medical Assistant. Expecting it to be no big deal, maybe get an appointment some time that week or so...but no.. even though it was my Dr's surgery day, he wanted me in that day & he will come out of surgery to look at it. This really surprised me because I did not think it was that urgent...He checked it out & did not like what he saw. I asked if maybe it was a suture trying to work it's way out. I explained that it had to be the boot, the girls at PT located the exact spot in the boot where it was rubbing & I should have just listened to him to loose the boot...He disagreed with me thinking it could have to do with the hardware. He had me keep it clean & see him that Friday (btw I had Friday off, I requested it off to go shopping).
Friday December 7, 2012 came, I got all ready for what I thought would be a quick check. It was far from quick. my Dr was not happy with the healing at all. I was on antibiotics. He probed it and it was deeper than he thought. He was going to have to do a procedure right then, basically surgery with local. (thinking great there goes my shopping plans) I told him I trust him & do what he feels is necessary. I really do trust my ortho Dr more than any Dr I know. He has just been so honest, and actually takes the time to explain everything...I truly feel I have the best Dr...Now back to the story. He basically had to cut away the dead, infected skin of the blister. He did what they refer to as an I&D, a debridement. When doing this he realized it went all the way to the plate...not good. He then told me he would have to finish it in the OR. He had the residents wrap it up. Then my Dr scheduled the surgery with me for December 11, 2012. My shopping trip to Detroit happened, my Dr approved me going shopping, only if I had my knee scooter :-)
December 11,2012, I was scheduled as an add on surgery. I worked all day until they called & told me I needed to be at UTMC. I got all prepped. The nurses remembered me. They were great as always. My Dr came up and explained the surgery and possible complications. and then we waited for an OR to become available. I also at that time asked my Dr if he could remove the syndo screws...he told me he would "think" about it, and only if he got close. (btw previous appointments I bugged my Dr about removing the syndo screws, and he always said no...lol) This surgery I was only sedated & nerve block. It was nice I was awake during the end of the procedure. It was nice being able to talk to the residents and everyone after the procedure and move myself off the table. It was also nice that I was able to talk to my Dr after I got back to recovery. He explained everything he did, it was a more through I&D, and he really cleaned it out. Before he explained anything, he had to tell me the news that I wanted to hear...he attempted to get my syndo screw, and he got half. :-) Half is better than nothing. I did let him know a day before I did feel my walking did get better, that is probably when it broke. One of the residents explained that on the x-ray it looked in tact but bent before he tried to remove it. I was to see him that Friday so he could check the wound. I think I had the biggest splint ever that time...I could not find my toes if I wanted to...LOL
To be continued.....just the beginning....
Monday, April 22, 2013
The Healing Process
The healing is far from quick. One of the main things I have learned with this ankle injury was patience. This is something that time is not one your side. The first 4 weeks drove me crazy after my injury. I was stuck at home, in front of the TV. This is especially hard for someone who does not watch much TV in the first place. Thank God for NetFlix & Grey's Anatomy marathons. I was able to watch every season from 1 to the current...Here is a little timeline for you:
I broke my ankle - July 14, 2012Had surgery - July 26, 2012 (plate on the fibula and syndo screws)
First follow up - August 3, 2012
- Dr just checked the x-rays, and explained my surgery more. It was nice to hear about the surgery from the Dr, which was the first time, because after surgery he spoke to my mother, I was still out of it due to general anesthetic. 2nd follow up - August 10, 2012
- Got my hard fiberglass cast, wanted pink but got purple. This was actually a fun visit, I love the residents in ortho. The resident I had, I wish I remembered his name was soo nice & between him & my Dr they kept me laughing... Best news was the ok to go back to work, with my knee scooter :-)
3rd follow up September 5, 2012
- Got the sad news, 2 more weeks in the cast. One of the shortest visits ever. I kept my hard cast, no need to replace it for only 2 weeks (even though it had duct tape on it..LOL)4th follow up September 21, 2012
- Got my walking boot, orders for therapy (25% partial weight bearing), and a bone stimulator. Thank God my DR is proactive in getting me started with the bone stimulator. I really believe it helped speed up my healing. My Dr was concerned that it was not healing fast enough for him. One thing he stressed to me if I had any pain when weight bearing to stop. I took him at his word, he made sure that I got that through my head. Started 2 times a week physical therapy September 24, 2012
Physical therapy I feel is soo important. It helped me for one figure out what 25% PWB was, and helped me gain the strength and confidence to get back on my feet. I was soo lucky to have the girls at UTMC to rely on, Ashley & Liddy were great! I never once dreaded going to therapy.5th follow up- October 10, 2012
Cleared for 50% PWB, my healing was going great.
Continued Physical therapy 2 times a week
Was able to ride the bike and do more Range of Motion exercises.
6th follow up - November 20, 2012
I was cleared for Full weight bearing & was told I could lose the walking boot!! He also said he was done with me, that was after we went through all of my x-rays. I am so glad he saved going through my x-rays until the end, it was nice to be able to go through them & the healing process with him. He explained every x-ray. I really could not of asked for a better Dr in Dr Lai. He wrote me up another script for therapy & sent me on my way....If only if I listened to the Dr.....
I would soon find out..that visit...would not be the last time I would see Dr Lai.
To be continued.... ;-)
Sunday, April 21, 2013
What the hell am I supposed to do with these???
Crutches...they gave me hell. They bring them in, they take 30 seconds to show you the basics...and off you go. When you are a big girl like me, and obviously not that coordinated...using crutches are a nightmare. The very first night, I got home, hopped up the stairs, don't ask me how? Because I could never do that one again. Then fell in the door, literally. Then fell once I got in the house. My main goal, find something to use other than crutches... My parents got my great aunt's walker out...I just could not wrap my head around using it. I continued with the crutches..Hopping. Now I can laugh at my self. I was so afraid of falling & of the crutches I did not even try. I now can crutch with no problem like a normal person...LOLI did find my savior, a great solution. A knee walker!! I told my DR at my surgery I was planning on getting one, and I was getting it from Wal-Mart....Actually I already ordered it. He did laugh, and tell me you can't get things like that from Wal-Mart. I did and he eventually approved me using it, once I got my hard cast. It was a savior. I was able to go any where with it!! As soon as I got my hard cast, I was back to work, off shopping at the mall, and going out with friends. I did not have to be stuck at home, I was not going to let this broken ankle rule my life!!
Skating disaster...
Skating disaster...
So we get there, and I put on my skates. I went around one time, the wheels were very jerky. I told my friend I am getting these things off...they are just not right. I made it off the rink and half way back to my seat. There I went...and all I heard was a snap...my friends telling me just to get up...I was like there is no way. Well I was able to get them off, and into an office chair and into my truck.
There I went across town to the only hospital my insurance covers UTMC. They took great care of me, X-rayed, and wrapped up in a splint. Luckily it was my Left ankle, so I drove myself home...yes, thank God for Tramadol...I was able to drive home.
That day July 14, 2012.. was the first day of this journey of orthopedic care. I am too blessed that my insurance covers some of the BEST Drs in Toledo. I got an appointment on July 18 with a Dr, who reviewed my fibula fracture & syndesmosis injury with me. He referred me to another Dr, as he is more specialized in ankle injuries. this OS was able to explain to me the need for surgery & then had my ankle surgery scheduled for July 20. There was an issue due to medications I was on, so that got cancelled and moved to July 26. I was not too happy about that, because all I wanted was to be back to work. I was not a fan of that Dr at that time... That would change. Now that I look back, I am happy that I had a DR who was more concerned about being pro-active in preventing a possible complication in healing by canceling the procedure.
July 26 came along, I was nervous as hell. I have not had surgery since I was a kid. I was very nervous...My mom was wheeling me through the hospital to register then to up to pre-op, as we passed the coffee cart there was my Dr with a smile and a wave. That seemed to calm my nerves a bit. Did all the pre-op stuff, then my Dr came in to explain everything, and off to surgery I went. I was miserable for the first few days....thank God for the Olympics and those pain meds would wake me up up in the middle of the night.
Crutches were my enemy, but they got me from one place to another...slowly but surely. That big ol'surgical splint was not the friendliest or the prettiest, but it worked. I left the hospital not only with 2 syndo screws, and a nice large plate on my fibula. I had a much more serious fibula fracture, it was comminuted fracture, which means it is a fracture in which the bone involved in the fracture is broken into several pieces. It was not an easy fix I would soon find out from my awesome Dr. Thank God I had the Dr that I did.
I will post more about my Broken Ankle Journey later....
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